8.10.17

A Film a Week - Berlin Syndrome

Every time has its
own special place to name it the centre of
the world. Paris and Vienna were that in the beginning of the last
century, London and New York were that at the end of 20th
and in the beginning of ours. Nowadays, it is Berlin, the
liberal-minded work and travel and squat and party destination made
from the anarchist tradition of its western part and ashes of the
eastern part’s socialism. The youth going there to pass or to stay
for a while does not care much about that, Berlin is just a cool
place to be at one point. And like any cool big city, Berlin can also
be a very lonely place, which is one of the alleys Berlin Syndrome
goes.

For Claire (young
Australian star Teresa Palmer), a young photographer
interested in GDR architecture, Berlin is a place where she wants to
find herself. However, she will find Andi (Max Riemelt),
seemingly cool school teacher who seems like an ideal partner for a
fling. So she agrees to spend the night in his apartment
only to find herself locked inside the next morning when he goes to
work. It does not take much for her to realize that she is a captive
and that the way out will not be easy.

The basic idea is
straight out of horror genre, but the screenwriter Shaun Grant
adapting the novel by Melanie Joosten and especially the
director Cate Shortland are more interested in psychological
drama of it all. As the title suggests, it has something to do with
Stockholm syndrome: when Claire realizes the resistance is futile,
she gets used to the daily routine of living with a man with quite a
peculiar idea of being romantic. Also, Andi is not your basic film
psychopath, sure he is a functional one, hiding “mommy issues”
behind the facade of a quiet man, but there is more to him than his
routine and his quirks.

Both of the actors
thrive on their well-written characters. Teresa Palmer delivers an
understated, soulful, quiet performance, while Riemelt’s calmness,
sincerity and naivety makes his character even more chilling. Their
chemistry is evident in the scenes they share and Shortland’s sense
of space, a confined one that is, adds another layer to the overall
unpleasant atmosphere.

The problem with
films like Berlin Syndrome is once the setting is done and the
woman ends up kidnapped, there is not much room for experimenting.
The not so deep psychology can hold our attention for a while and
Cate Shortland is a very skilled filmmaker to take the maximum of it
and her previous effort Lore is a stellar example of a
trans-genre approach. Still, around midpoint, Berlin Syndrome
starts to drag a bit and the whole third act requires a considerable
suspension of disbelief, but in the end this Australian-German
co-production from this year’s Sundance Festival is worth watching
for the reason of talent on screen and behind it going from horror to
drama to thriller and back.